Getting inside of the city was easy, especially when the guards at the gate were told that I was the one who had killed the the troll. I had just decided the throw what was left of it in my storage. That brought up a few questions, but just saying it was a skill was good enough apparently. I had to pull it out to show the guards, all of whom were C and B Ranks, before they just waved us all inside nervously.
As we all entered the city, with Cici still latched onto my arm, I felt my mouth go dry, and my excitement build rapidly. This city was damn nice looking. Long stone roads branched out in multiple directions. I saw businesses, street vendors, and more down one road more so than the others, and the faint scent of something good hit my nose. I was reminded of how hungry I was.
All of the roads were packed and bustling with people, mostly humans, but I did see some Beastkin in the mix every now and then. I saw catkin, wolfkin, foxkin and even some people with long, pointed ears. I had to identify one family of people I saw, who came up as Lizard Beastfolk, or lizardkin, as I would call them. No sure why the Framework didn't just shorten the races to that. That's like, fantasy world 101.
"This is incredible..." Clarissa said from her spot to my left, and Marina nodded at her.
"I've always liked coming here. This place has any and everything you'd ever want or need." She said from her spot behind Clarissa.
"There's so many people... wow." Cici said as her eyes looked around in amazement.
"Home sweet home." Sheila said, although her tone wasn't very convincing.
"There's good money to be made here." Terroth said, and Sheila just nodded weakly.
"It's... not terrible." Benji said less much less convincingly than Sheila.
Serena slowed her pace so that she was next to Cici and me.
"The people here... a lot of them like and treat beastkin like everyone else, but... there's also a lot that don't. This is a big city, after all." Serena said quietly to the 4 of us.
Marina grimaced, but nodded. She seemed to already know that. Clarissa scowled, and Cici's ears flatened and her tail drooped. A low growl escaped my throat, making several of the people around us look at me, but my glare made all of them turn around just as fast.
"People better keep their fucking mouths shut." I said, my tone loud enough so those people heard me.
"It's okay, darling. A lot of us are used to it." Cici said, and but I still shook my head. It was fucking stupid.
"It's not right. People are just terrible. There's no difference between you and me. You all have your cute little ears and tails," Clarissa cut in, looking at Cici with a smile that didn't reach her lips, "Sometimes I'm a little jealous, honestly."
I don't know if she was trying to be subtle, but she was not very good at it. Cici had gotten it at the same time I did, although I felt concern for Clarissa from Cici through the bond. We both cared about Clarissa. I got the sense of a discussion from Cici, which meant she definitely wanted to discuss this with me. That would probably come after everything else, and it was probably for the best. We both cared about her, and it's clear she wants more... maybe I do too.
Serena, oblivious to Clarissa's meaning and my inner thoughts, just blushed, but her tail began swishing behind her. I saw Sheila's tail begin wagging, and the 2 guys just nodded from our words.
"I'm so happy to hear that. You're all so much nicer than most people we've met." Serena said, happily.
"People are just judgemental. It's not that hard to treat people with respect." I said, pulling Cici closer to me.
"I really hope you all stick around for a while." Sheila said hopefully.
"We'll be here for a while. I'd love to keep seeing you all." Clarissa said them, and the rest of us voice our agreement. Marina just nodded, but she didn't seem bothered by it. Plus, she went where Clarissa went.
Benji looked at us with happy eyes, and when it looked at me, it reminded how a kid in a super hero movie would look when meeting their favorite hero. I liked the guy, but he was also a little unsettling at times.
"We stay at the Adventurer's Guild. It's actually a nice place, and the beds are nice. The food and drink is also good too. If you are an Adventurer, you can rooms for yourself and a friend." Terroth said, then he looked at me with a smirk, "Looks like that sounds interesting to you."
He was absolutely fucking correct about that. I honestly got a little excited, my anger leaving me as the thought brought a grin to my face. The classic dungeon diving, loot grabbing, monster slaying trope that I love.
"It does." I said quickly, and Terroth's smirk turned into a grin that matched my own.
"I can see you making a lot of money, kid. You can go solo, or with a party. You could honestly probably go by yourself from what I've seen. And then!" Terroth said, suddenly becoming animated, and Sheila watched him with a big smile as he spoke, "There's the Arbigold dungeon. You'll like that place. You can go for contracts, or just to see how far down you can go. The further you go, the more loot you get. Every 10th floor, you fight a powerful boss, and the loot becomes better and better each time. No one knows how far it even goes though... no one, not even those in S rank who have tried, has ever gotten past the 80th floor boss."
"God that sounds cool." I said, and my words actually made everyone chuckle.
"Haha. I like the enthusiasm kid. Come on, the Guild is this way. I can put in a good word, but you'll still have to take a couple of tests. They are simple, just to make sure you actually are good enough to do the most basic contracts. I'm more than sure you'll be fine. However, our recommendation will go a long way."
He said this as he pointed to his chest, where I noticed a Silver necklace around his neck in the shape of a sword. They even have a Rank system for the Guilds too? Maybe this world is pretty damn nice after all.
"We are Silver Rank, which is pretty good. You work your way up in order. Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Adamantine." He said, "We are close to gold though. We might actually get there with the next contract, as long as we get something for the goblins. The troll is yours. Use it to show your worth to the guild." He said, and I just nodded.
"I'm sure Eli could get to the highest rank if he wanted to." Cici said confidently, and I just smiled and rubbed her back, amused by her enthusiasm. She was probably right though.
The others looked at her like she was crazy.
"He could probably get really high, but.... Adamantine? There are only a few Adamantine parties that I know of, and none of them are anywhere close to hear. They are always full parties of powerful S ranked powerhouses. The highest ranked party in Arbigold is Platinum, and they are the only one. Tempest. They are all powerful... and their leader is A Ranked. They're all... not the greatest people." Terroth said, and Cici just huffed.
"I don't take back what I said." Cici said, releasing my arm to cross hers under her impressive bust, and pout at the bearkin.
He just chuckled.
"Sure. Fine. Whatever you say, Lady Cecila." He said, but that did not get rid of Cici's frown.
Serena smiled at Cici. Hell, I was too. She looked fuckin adorable right now. I wished I still had a damn phone so I could take a picture of this.
"It's nice that you believe in him so much." Serena said, causing Cici to nodded, and her pout to lessen.
"He's always done everything he's set out do. If he wanted to, he could." Cici insisted.
I wasn't going to tell people how strong I actually was. That being said, I was wondering if it truly was a bad thing for people to know I was not one to mess with. People would think twice before trying anything to me, or those I care about. Another thing to consider, at the very least.
"Come on, the guild is this way." Terroth said, and then his belly rumbled something fierce, "I need some damn food."
Every chuckled, but the way some of our stomachs also rumbled, he wasn't the only one, mine included. So, we followed him, and I became giddy once again. Food, drinks, and becoming a fucking adventurer.
"I'm so ready." I said, as we all followed the large bear man.